A Reconfigurable Dual Resonant Inverter with Independent Control for Induction Heating

Abstract

The demand for flexible and adaptive power electronics solutions in industrial as well as domestic applications, particularly in Induction Heating (IH) with varying material properties necessitate tailored power delivery mechanisms. Conventional inverters typically operate in either full-bridge (FB) or in half-bridge (HB), limiting their adaptability and efficient operation when dealing with diverse loads. Different material compatibility is a desirable feature of the IH system. This paper presents a reconfigurable inverter tailored for IH applications. The proposed inverter exhibits the capability to dynamically switch between FB and HB configurations, offering enhanced versatility and efficiency in powering both ferromagnetic (FM) and non-ferromagnetic (NFM) material loads. The reconfigurable inverter's dual frequency operation enables independent control of two different material loads. The proposed inverter operates in HB mode to power FM load at low-frequency and in FB mode to power NFM load at high frequency. Asymmetrical Duty Cycle (ADC) control is used in HB mode and Asymmetrical Voltage Cancellation (AVC) control is used in FB mode. Soft switching is accomplished to provide a greater output power range. The proposed inverter topology has been verified through MATLAB simulation for an output power of 1.7 kW and an efficiency of 95.7% is achieved